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The differences between shop assistants and clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a shop assistant, becoming a clerk takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a shop assistant has an average salary of $31,216, which is higher than the $31,163 average annual salary of a clerk.
The top three skills for a shop assistant include customer vehicles, CNC and customer service. The most important skills for a clerk are basic math, math, and data entry.
| Shop Assistant | Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $31,216 | $31,163 |
| Hourly rate | $15.01 | $14.98 |
| Growth rate | 4% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 11,156 | 80,311 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Average age | 39 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
A shop assistant is primarily responsible for handling customers and maintaining the upkeep of a sales floor in a retail store. They are in charge of greeting customers, answering inquiries, offering assistance, recommending products, and handling complaints. A shop assistant also has duties that involve receiving, verifying, processing, and sorting shipments from suppliers, managing inventory, and re-stocking shelves while keeping them presentable. To maintain the sales floor's cleanliness, a shop assistant may also perform light chores and keep all equipment organized. Furthermore, it is essential to accomplish tasks while adhering to the policies and regulations of the company.
Clerks are responsible for many of the general administrative tasks in the office. They are in charge of manning office telephone lines, managing incoming and outgoing mails, filing paperwork and other needed records, scheduling and documenting meetings, typing out documents when needed, disseminating memos and other official announcements, and keeping an inventory of office equipment and supplies. Clerks should have good office skills, communication skills, business writing skills, and time management skills. They should also be able to treat any document or paperwork they handle with confidentiality.
Shop assistants and clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Shop Assistant | Clerk | |
| Average salary | $31,216 | $31,163 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $38,000 | Between $24,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Spokane, WA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Steel Dynamics | University of Massachusetts Boston |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a shop assistant and a clerk in terms of educational background:
| Shop Assistant | Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between shop assistants' and clerks' demographics:
| Shop Assistant | Clerk | |
| Average age | 39 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% | Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 7.7% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 6% |